1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image heating apparatus in which a connector is attached to an end of a heating member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-214056 has disclosed a heating apparatus in which a groove of a U-shaped connector is fitted with a projection of a stay holder to attach the connector to an end of a ceramic heater and the attached connector is locked by a hooked member. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-75443 has disclosed a heating apparatus in which two or three electrodes are disposed at an end of a heater in a rotation axial direction of a fixing belt.
In accordance with a number of increased electrodes disposed at the end of the heater as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-75443, a number of energizing terminals of the connector inserted to/pulled out of the end of the heating member also increases, and the connector tends to be enlarged in a direction in which the energizing terminals are arrayed.
While the heating apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-214056 locks the connector by the hooked member, a moment that tries to rotate the connector increases when an external force acts on a wiring line of the connector if the connector is enlarged as described above. Then, the large moment acts on the connector even if the force acting on the wiring line of the connector is small, and a force that tries to shift a contact between the energizing terminal and an electrode increases. As a result, the configurations described above have had a problem that they tend to cause friction on a contact surface of the energizing terminal and the electrode and to cause a contact failure.